Tony, Suzanne and Ollie

Last night we had the pleasure of sponsoring a Marine Master Sergeant and his wife at the Show of Support Hunt for Heroes. Not only were Tony and Suzanne Lindsey a darling couple, their heroic story was incredible. Like all the heroes in attendance, each man had gone forth just "doing his job" when horrific circumstances forever altered his and his family's life.

In the simplest terms, Tony's job is to diffuse bombs so that other soldiers, sailors and marines, as well as the civilian population can get on with their work. Each day he is faced with trying to outwit men who are bent on killing anyone they can with the insidious homemade devices. You only have to meet one person who has been struck by an IED to understand the devastation caused by these bombs and booby-traps. (That is, if they survived the blast.)

Unlike the men depicted in The Hurt Locker, Tony and his fellow Marines (some of his Company were also in attendance) are thoughtful men who study, test and evaluate techniques and procedures to use against conventional, chemical, biological and nuclear ordinances. There is just no way to estimate how many lives have been saved by these brave men. If you have a loved one serving in the Middle East, you may be reassured by the fact that Anthony Lindsey and his Company and are doing everything possible to bring them safely home.

Until you meet the wives of these heroes, you only understand half the story. Unfortunately, each woman has a heart-wrenching tale of receiving the news of her husband's injury. Next time you are having a bad day, just think about them.

Oliver North was the guest speaker and I'm hard pressed to remember anything he said that was earth-shaking. It was more like a promo for FOX News...which I don't watch. I guess the main fact that filtered through all the hoopla was that our soldiers are bound by certain moral conventions and respect for life that are just superfluous to other nations. So many of our parents or grandparents were witness to this same savagery in WWII. Then they returned home determined to build an even better, America. We can all hope that this generation of men and women will do the same.

(In case you are not familiar with military medals, you are seeing: Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Navy and Marine Corp Commendation Medals, Joint Services Achievement Medal and so on...)